Journey to Lent

As we journey through Lent and approach Holy

Week and Easter, we hear again the Gospel stories of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the cross and His resurrection. Many of those stories have Jesus surrounded by a crowd. There was the crowd that cheered Jesus into Jerusalem hoping for a military or political leader who would free them from the Roman occupation. We hear how the crowd changed its cry when Pilot offered them the release of Jesus or Barabbas. The cry turned to “crucify him”. We hear about the crowd who lined the road to Calvary and of Simon pulled from that crowd to help Jesus carry the cross. We will hear of the disciples who disappeared into the crowd when the going got tough.

The researcher and social commentator on vulnerability, Brene Brown, talks about how a quote from President Roosevelt changed her views on the criticism she faced about her work. Roosevelt said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs…who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

In our scripture stories we often identify with Jesus and the courageous disciples but in our own lives we behave more like the crowd, the bystanders, those outside the arena.
It is much easier and safer to be outside offering criticism and scorn than to show up, be seen and face the fear, to dare greatly.

Brown talks about the four occupants of the best seats in most of our arenas. They are shame, scarcity and comparison. The shame of failing, of being mocked; the belief that we are not good enough, worthy enough, to be doing what we hope to do; and the belief that there will always be someone we think is better than us. The fourth seat she suggests will be occupied by someone who represents a fear unique to each of us. Rather than ignore them she says we should reserve the best seats for them. Tell them, “I see you, I hear you, but I’m going to show up and do this anyway – I’ve reserved a seat for you but I’m not interested in your criticism.” Brown also says that we need to reserve a seat for that person who is going to pick us up when we fail, and if we do not fail then we have never turned up at the arena.

Those are the folks who love us not despite our imperfections and vulnerability but because of them. In the Easter story there is intense vulnerability in Jesus and the disciples.
What sort of religion has at its core the execution of a wandering preacher and healer? The one that also has the Resurrection as its central message. New life comes from death, new beginnings come from endings. It is a religion which says that we are loved not despite our imperfections and vulnerability but because of them. But we need to dare greatly, to show up in the arena, to be grounded and supported. The most courageous thing we can do is to be vulnerable. Lent helps us walk that walk to Jerusalem,
walk with Jesus to the cross, always believing that the joy of Easter Sunday lies behind it.

With every blessing

Chris